Service Mashup (Mashup) is a technology for stacking and aggregating multiple different applications that support a Web API into a new Web application. A Mashup server is a Web integration platform. It allows a user to easily integrate data and resources that come from any application having a Web interface. The main functions of the Mashup server include: composing Mashup application logics, providing an execution environment for Mashup applications, and communicating with external data sources and subservices.
In the process of implementing the present invention, the inventor finds that the prior art has at least the following problems:
1. A Mashup server may provide many Mashup applications, but cannot ensure availability of the Mashup applications. When a user requests executing a Mashup service, a Mashup application probably fails due to the abnormality of a third-party data source or subservice, for example, due to an interface change or service address change or service termination performed by a third-party service provider. Consequently, the Mashup service users have poor experience.
2. The Mashup server provides miscellaneous services and information sources, and the user needs to analyze the third-party data source when using the services and information sources, which is rather inconvenient to the user.
3. In separate use of the capability of the Mashup client or server, the advantages and the features of the server and the client are not fully used. The Mashup server can only provide Mashup services and information sources for the user according to related Web services on the network, and lacks cooperation with the client.
4. When a Mashup application needs to use capabilities and data of a user terminal, the terminal is required to report the related content to the Mashup server or a third-party data source, which may infringe upon the user's privacy.